Tumbling Tears: Inspirational Short Stories

By Evelyn Burch

Tumbling Tears is a collection of short stories that depict characters with remarkable courage, faith, and determination: A battered woman facing probable death encounters a mysterious being. A young boy does the unthinkable and searches for his kidnapped sister. Attacked by an ominous assailant, a discouraged woman discovers a stunning secret. Trapped in a ditch with nothing except faith and hope, a young girl has one chance to escape a threatening dog. These stories and others will leave you smiling through tears, spellbound, and encouraged.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Apr 24, 2018
• ISBN: 9781641406710

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Tumbling Tears

Evelyn C. Burch

Copyright © 2018 Evelyn C. Burch

All rights reserved

First Edition

Christian Faith Publishing, Inc

New York, NY

First originally published by Christian Faith Publishing, Inc 2018

ISBN 978-1-64140-670-3 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-64140-671-0 (Digital)

Printed in the United States of America

To Hazel, Gloria, Marilyn, Diane, PJ, and Mary

You are my angels on earth that came disguised as friends.

We survived the stormiest of times.

If you want a loving arm, just call

And, if you want a tender charm, just call me darling

Just please wipe the teardrops from my eye, yea

Why oh why must these tumbling tears be mine?

Lord, it’s a tumbling tumbling tumbling tumbling down.

Tumbling Tears, Gregory Isaacs

Angels Among Us

With a tight grip on her throat, he growled, I’m going to drown you tonight! Jesse struggled to swallow; she knew that he was going to do it.

Tonight, like every night, the Hawaiian beach with heavy foot-printed sand resembled a secluded island. The salty smell of the ocean filled her nostrils while Jesse walked across its bumpy uneven surface, and a cool breeze tugged at her ripped blouse. Each step she took felt like a step closer to a watery grave, an inescapable death. But she continued walking, straining to see through the heavy darkness. With a trembling hand, she wiped away a tear forming in her eye; her hand lingered briefly on her soft puffy cheek. The sound of her beating heart resembled an African drum with a fast rhythm, coupled with tall waves crashing into the sea, deafening her ears. The sound of waves crashing and rippling across the sand is supposed to be one of earth’s most peaceful sounds. As a child in the Caribbean, Jesse loved watching the sea rise, curl, and dissolve into soft sudsy foam. But tonight, each wave sounded like an angry arm thrashing at the sea. The mighty waves filled her with fear and anger, yet she continued walking as though she was under hypnosis.

The sharp throbbing pain in her back had not subsided, and images of tonight’s events filled her mind. Her body shuddered remembering the violence she endured earlier. The monster that stabbed her and struck her face with unbelievable force was near. Blinking furiously, she wondered, Where can I run? Where can I hide? She was swallowed up by the darkness and unable to see; attempts to flee seemed futile. Her legs felt heavy, making it more difficult to run on the bottomless carpet of sand. How many more steps before I face death? thought Jesse.

How close her assailant was, she did not know because she did not bother to glance back. Her knees were trembling violently, and the dry powdery sand was slowly changing to smooth and damp beneath her naked feet. The heavy pounding inside her chest had intensified to a thousand drums. She felt powerless. Instinctively, she reached up to touch the gold cross that normally dangled around her neck on the chain her mother had given her. They were not there. Her fingers felt a fragment of chain wedged between her breasts. Images of the inevitable flashed across her mind. Someone, help me! God, please help me! Please, God, I don’t want to die. The enormous power of another wave plunged deeply into the sea, discharging salty droplets onto her face. She was only steps away from a tragic death.

God, where did I go wrong? she asked, sighing deeply. Why, why, why? she thought. Why did I let evil inside my heart and home?

Jesse met Jackson three years earlier at a birthday party. She was not attracted to the tall soft-spoken man. He had short dark hair, skin as black as coffee, and deep-set eyes that looked like polished coals. They signaled danger. He stared at her like she was an elegant sports car with a dazzling polished exterior. Then he tossed a compliment in her direction and ever so slowly smiled at her. She tried to avoid him for the remainder of the party, but he intruded on her conversation and handed her a glass of white wine. She accepted the wine with reservations, noticing his smile had changed to a lecherous grin.

With minimal dating experience, it was not easy for a nineteen-year-old to spot a dangerous older man fifteen years her senior. Over the next year, Jesse ignored his cruel comments and violent outbursts. Rather, she marveled at his meticulous appearance, his inexpensive yet thoughtful gifts, and his desire to be a successful businessman regardless of any obstacles that surfaced. They married one year later surrounded by a handful of close friends. Five months into their union, Jesse felt like she was frequently stepping on glass with a widening crack with no repair kit.

The slightest things annoyed Jackson, and he unleashed his temper at any given moment. He shouted obscenities at her during their arguments, frequently punched her, and ripped her clothes if she was going out with friends. One night, he shoved her down the flight of stairs of their condo after she called him a chauvinistic pig. During a heated argument weeks later, he became so infuriated that he threw her out draped only in a towel. Cold and humiliated, she sat shivering on the rough concrete step, devising the best time to escape her unstable spouse.

Jesse communicated to friends that life without Jackson was what she wanted beginning with a separation. They helped her move out while Jackson was on a business trip. He became remorseful and called Jesse daily, begging her to reconsider. He broke down completely during these conversations, weeping like an injured child. After he returned home, he disclosed he had begun seeing an anger management counselor. And, he divulged his father’s violence toward his mother led to her untimely death. Jesse remained steadfast in her decision to remain apart; they argued over the telephone, and she ended the call by telling Jackson to focus on getting his temper under control. Then she reminded